Overview: The grade for the Saints' 2012 draft is going to be low. They traded their first-round pick for Mark Ingram last year, and had their second-rounder stripped for trying to injure opponents. Hicks and White are interesting small-school prospects. Toon's game tape is far less impressive than his big name suggests. Tiller and Jones are bottom-barrel backups. Hicks does have a shot to be an impact player, but until he becomes one there is no saving this draft's rating.

Overview: There are a couple of things on which we can count in each year's draft: the picks are unpredictable, and Jerry Reese will use his masterfully. Reese's first three selections reflect a common theme: He wanted explosive, dynamic playmakers, and Wilson, Randle, and Hosley all possesses those traits with first-round caliber resumes. Robinson is a height-weight-speed freak who was underutilized in college. McCants is a project, and Kuhn a try-hard guy. Quietly, the gem of Reese's class could be Mosley. A former high school and JUCO tight end, Mosley is light on his feet with prototypical tackle size. On this draft weekend, the rich got richer.

Overview: It's safe to say Andy Reid and Howie Roseman approached this draft with defense in mind. The best four picks (Cox, Kendricks, Curry, Boykin) play on Juan Castillo's side of the ball, and at least two of them are Week 1 starters. Boykin could make it a trifecta if he unseats slot corner Joselio Hanson and the nickel package counts. Surrendering picks 114 and 172 to slide up three first-round spots for Cox seems like a lot, but the Eagles made an offsetting move by dropping eight selections in round two and adding pick 123 in a trade with Green Bay. The late-rounders were impressive as well. McNutt has requisite size and straight-line speed, and college tackle Washington is a potential future starter at guard. While this draft group fell just shy of an "A" grade, it makes Philadelphia's roster considerably more impressive, particularly on "D."

Overview: The Niners must not have been smitten with the 2012 draft class. They made three trades on the draft's second and third days, netting extra 2013 picks in the third, fifth, and sixth rounds. San Francisco's lone trade up was for Looney, and it didn't affect next year's picks. While GM Trent Baalke has earned the benefit of the doubt, on the surface his 2012 selections don't especially impress. Pick 30 is awfully high for a slot receiver in Jenkins, and scatback James was a luxury choice at 61. Fleming and Robinson are solid, if unspectacular players. Slowey is a small-school project, and Johnson plays without consistency. Baalke's 2011 draft turned out far better than projected, and this haul may do the same, but at first glance it looks fairly mediocre.

Overview: It's popular to pan the Seahawks' draft. While we're not giving them an "A," the 2012 Seattle picks are largely understandable and hardly "mindboggling" as Mel Kiper's hair has claimed. No. 15 is early for a situational pass rusher, but no defender in this class has a quicker first step than Irvin. Wagner is a thumper and addresses a need. Wilson is going to make Tarvaris Jackson expendable. Turbin adds physicality to a backfield lacking it behind Marshawn Lynch. Howard, Toomer, and Guy can be year-one role players. Lane, Sweezy, and Scruggs are under-the-radar picks. Realistically, the Seahawks didn't overdraft anyone on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, and they consistently kept in mind need. It's a better group than people are saying.

Overview: Rookie GM Les Snead wanted Justin Blackmon with the sixth pick. When St. Louis was leapfrogged by Jacksonville, Snead shrewdly traded out and picked up No. 45 overall in exchange for dropping from 6 to 14. The Rams again traded down in round two, adding a fifth-rounder to drop just five spots. This was an approach needed to upgrade the league's weakest roster. The Rams had Brockers as a top-ten player and a first-round grade on Quick, so those picks provided value. Jenkins is a top-15 on-field talent. Givens has second-round tape, and Pead and Johnson offer playmaking ability at need positions. Watkins is a mauler, Zuerlein essentially saved the club $2.7 million by making Josh Brown expendable, and Brown and Richardson both possess quality physical tools. The Rams got much better over the course of the last three days.

Overview: GM Mark Dominik calls the shots, but the Bucs showed a newfound sense of aggressiveness in coach Greg Schiano's first draft. The wheeling-and-dealing Buccaneers pulled off three trades in the first two rounds involving 11 picks. They came away with at least three Week 1 starters, each at a position of glaring need, and didn't surrender anything in future drafts. Schiano fell back on his Big East roots for Goode and Tandy, and Smith was one of the better running backs in this class no one talked about. This was a draft packed with big-time additions.

Overview: Beyond RG3, this was a draft bound to lack star power after the historical haul required to land Washington's first franchise passer since Joe Theismann. Left without another top-70 selection, the Redskins stayed true to their board. LeRibeus, Gettis, and Compton are all athletic linemen -- system fits for Mike Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme. Robinson has sideline-to-sideline range. Cousins projects as a quality long-term backup. Morris, Crawford, and Bernstine are special teams prospects. Still, this draft was obviously all about Griffin, and will be judged in the future based almost entirely on how he performs on the field. We think he'll be pretty good.

After a grueling three days of “work,” we'll put the finishing touches on our intensive draft coverage with post-draft grades.

But let us be clear: We don't believe in assessing draft hauls immediately after the three-day affair. This is for your pleasure. If you're reading this intro, you're interested. And we want to appeal to you. Don't take these grades too seriously. We'll know a lot more about the 2012 draft around 2015.

Overview: The Cardinals rarely stray from their board on draft day, and they stayed the course this year. Comfortable with Floyd's off-field history, Arizona went with value at No. 13 rather than reach for a greater need such as offensive line. It's an honorable approach. Fleming is a natural press corner and Ray Horton system fit. Russ Grimm will work to develop Massie's immense potential. Though drafted later, Kelemete may make more of an early impact. Bethel is an immediate special teams core guy. Lindley is a scheme fit as a vertical power thrower. Potter is a practice squad candidate. Overall, this was a strong haul for a team without a second-round pick following last year's Kevin Kolb trade. It is value laden with at least four year-one contributors.

Overview: Atlanta entered the draft shorthanded after last offseason's Julio Jones deal. Admitted needs drafter Thomas Dimitroff devoted his first two picks to an offensive line in need of big upgrades, and replaced overpriced lead blocker Ovie Mughelli with the underrated Ewing. Massaquoi has nickel-rusher potential. Mitchell is a special teams prospect, and Robertson likely won't make the roster. The Falcons set themselves up for a low grade because they were low on premium picks, and emerged with just one premium player (Konz). It was an underwhelming draft.

Overview: It must be noted that GM Marty Hurney coughed up a 2013 third-rounder and the 180th pick to move up for Alexander. The trade hinted at desperation after Carolina went three rounds without supplementing a defensive line that is unimpressive aside from Charles Johnson. The Panthers didn't draft a single defensive tackle. Kuechly was a rock-solid pick and Silatolu can be a difference-making run blocker. Adams and Norman were value picks where they went. But Hurney needed more than he got from this draft, and his hand is diminished for next offseason.

Overview: The Bears made an aggressive move up for Jeffery without conceding much (pick 150), and otherwise used their picks where slotted. While Jeffery's on-field potential can be debated, he adds a new element to a receiver corps that can now be among the most potent in football. McClellin will be a disruptive "Joker" if Chicago's staff uses him right, and Hardin is an intriguing talent in the back end at 6-foot-3, 217 with 4.44 wheels. Rodriguez has some Aaron Hernandez to his game. Only time will tell, but this looks like rookie GM Phil Emery's first win.

Overview: Dallas' front office is unwilling to meet injury-prone, contract-year CB Mike Jenkins' financial demands, so it went to work on Thursday night. The Cowboys shipped off picks 14 and 45 to secure Claiborne, who will cover X receivers and perhaps even stalk opposing No. 1s in the Darrelle Revis "shadow" role. Dallas was otherwise quiet on the trade front, but picked up an athletic pass rusher in Wilber to go with one of this draft's more underrated defensive-line pocket pushers in Crawford. Coale was a fifth-round value and will compete right away in the slot, while Hanna is a height-weight-speed guy. McSurdy and Johnson were dominant small schoolers. The Cowboys came away with one surefire blue chip talent, and as many as four or five more 2012 role players. Even after giving up the second-rounder, this has the look of a solid draft.

Overview: The Lions tried to acquire a top-ten cornerback on Thursday, but instead of panicking when those attempts fell through, GM Martin Mayhew stuck to his board and let left tackle of the future Reiff fall into his lap. Mayhew jumped up for high-ceiling corner Greenwood without surrendering much (pick 230), although he sent a 2013 fourth-round pick Minnesota's way in a trade for Whitehead. The players Mayhew came away with are largely impressive. Broyles will be a significant slot-receiver upgrade on Nate Burleson when his knee gets right, and Bentley can be a clamp-down nickel back. Lewis and Whitehead are impact pass rushers. Greenwood has drawn Antonio Cromartie comparisons from small-school NFL scouts. The Lions may still explore the veteran trade market for defensive back help, but this draft tangibly improved the roster.

Overview: Giants GM Jerry Reese and Packers GM Ted Thompson are the NFL's best drafters. For the latter, this group furthers that notion. Perry was a match of value and need, and sending away the 123rd pick to secure Worthy made sense for a team still trying to replace Cullen Jenkins. Worthy can be the answer. Thompson's second trade up netted Manning, an instinctive, playmaking inside 'backer. Hayward possesses pro-ready ball skills and technique, and Datko was one of the draft's better value picks as a first- or second-round player on the field whose stock sank due only to non-knee medical concerns. Daniels and McMillian are role-playing roster fillers, and Coleman is a talent upgrade on Graham Harrell. It would be difficult to take issue with any one of Thompson's picks. He was only slightly outclassed by Reese in this draft (see below).

Overview: Minnesota acquired fourth-, fifth-, and seventh-round picks "for free" when it moved down one spot in Thursday's Trent Richardson trade. The Vikings then sent Nos. 35 and 98 to Baltimore to draft Smith with the 29th pick. GM Rick Spielman picked up 2013 fourth- and sixth-rounders in deals later on. While accumulating selections is always a plus, and the Vikings made the right call on Kalil over Claiborne, a majority of the other players acquired have too many question marks for comfort. Smith is really an in-the-box safety, and those are rarely worth first-round draft picks. Childs may never be right after a 2010 patella tendon tear. Wright, Robinson, and Kalil were the class of this haul. Beyond Kalil and perhaps Smith, however, the Vikings didn't get a single surefire year-one difference maker. Spielman could have used his picks better.

Overview: The grade for the Saints' 2012 draft is going to be low. They traded their first-round pick for Mark Ingram last year, and had their second-rounder stripped for trying to injure opponents. Hicks and White are interesting small-school prospects. Toon's game tape is far less impressive than his big name suggests. Tiller and Jones are bottom-barrel backups. Hicks does have a shot to be an impact player, but until he becomes one there is no saving this draft's rating.

Overview: There are a couple of things on which we can count in each year's draft: the picks are unpredictable, and Jerry Reese will use his masterfully. Reese's first three selections reflect a common theme: He wanted explosive, dynamic playmakers, and Wilson, Randle, and Hosley all possesses those traits with first-round caliber resumes. Robinson is a height-weight-speed freak who was underutilized in college. McCants is a project, and Kuhn a try-hard guy. Quietly, the gem of Reese's class could be Mosley. A former high school and JUCO tight end, Mosley is light on his feet with prototypical tackle size. On this draft weekend, the rich got richer.

Overview: It's safe to say Andy Reid and Howie Roseman approached this draft with defense in mind. The best four picks (Cox, Kendricks, Curry, Boykin) play on Juan Castillo's side of the ball, and at least two of them are Week 1 starters. Boykin could make it a trifecta if he unseats slot corner Joselio Hanson and the nickel package counts. Surrendering picks 114 and 172 to slide up three first-round spots for Cox seems like a lot, but the Eagles made an offsetting move by dropping eight selections in round two and adding pick 123 in a trade with Green Bay. The late-rounders were impressive as well. McNutt has requisite size and straight-line speed, and college tackle Washington is a potential future starter at guard. While this draft group fell just shy of an "A" grade, it makes Philadelphia's roster considerably more impressive, particularly on "D."

Overview: The Niners must not have been smitten with the 2012 draft class. They made three trades on the draft's second and third days, netting extra 2013 picks in the third, fifth, and sixth rounds. San Francisco's lone trade up was for Looney, and it didn't affect next year's picks. While GM Trent Baalke has earned the benefit of the doubt, on the surface his 2012 selections don't especially impress. Pick 30 is awfully high for a slot receiver in Jenkins, and scatback James was a luxury choice at 61. Fleming and Robinson are solid, if unspectacular players. Slowey is a small-school project, and Johnson plays without consistency. Baalke's 2011 draft turned out far better than projected, and this haul may do the same, but at first glance it looks fairly mediocre.

Overview: It's popular to pan the Seahawks' draft. While we're not giving them an "A," the 2012 Seattle picks are largely understandable and hardly "mindboggling" as Mel Kiper's hair has claimed. No. 15 is early for a situational pass rusher, but no defender in this class has a quicker first step than Irvin. Wagner is a thumper and addresses a need. Wilson is going to make Tarvaris Jackson expendable. Turbin adds physicality to a backfield lacking it behind Marshawn Lynch. Howard, Toomer, and Guy can be year-one role players. Lane, Sweezy, and Scruggs are under-the-radar picks. Realistically, the Seahawks didn't overdraft anyone on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, and they consistently kept in mind need. It's a better group than people are saying.

Overview: Rookie GM Les Snead wanted Justin Blackmon with the sixth pick. When St. Louis was leapfrogged by Jacksonville, Snead shrewdly traded out and picked up No. 45 overall in exchange for dropping from 6 to 14. The Rams again traded down in round two, adding a fifth-rounder to drop just five spots. This was an approach needed to upgrade the league's weakest roster. The Rams had Brockers as a top-ten player and a first-round grade on Quick, so those picks provided value. Jenkins is a top-15 on-field talent. Givens has second-round tape, and Pead and Johnson offer playmaking ability at need positions. Watkins is a mauler, Zuerlein essentially saved the club $2.7 million by making Josh Brown expendable, and Brown and Richardson both possess quality physical tools. The Rams got much better over the course of the last three days.

Overview: GM Mark Dominik calls the shots, but the Bucs showed a newfound sense of aggressiveness in coach Greg Schiano's first draft. The wheeling-and-dealing Buccaneers pulled off three trades in the first two rounds involving 11 picks. They came away with at least three Week 1 starters, each at a position of glaring need, and didn't surrender anything in future drafts. Schiano fell back on his Big East roots for Goode and Tandy, and Smith was one of the better running backs in this class no one talked about. This was a draft packed with big-time additions.

Overview: Beyond RG3, this was a draft bound to lack star power after the historical haul required to land Washington's first franchise passer since Joe Theismann. Left without another top-70 selection, the Redskins stayed true to their board. LeRibeus, Gettis, and Compton are all athletic linemen -- system fits for Mike Shanahan's zone-blocking scheme. Robinson has sideline-to-sideline range. Cousins projects as a quality long-term backup. Morris, Crawford, and Bernstine are special teams prospects. Still, this draft was obviously all about Griffin, and will be judged in the future based almost entirely on how he performs on the field. We think he'll be pretty good.